CHARLESTOWN, R.I. — A 25-year-old man has died following a drowning incident Sunday afternoon at School House Pond beach on Narragansett Indian Tribal property, authorities said.
The Charlestown Police Department said emergency crews were called at approximately 1:38 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, 2026, for a report of a possible drowning at the freshwater beach area.
Responding units included the Charlestown Police Department, Charlestown Rescue Service, and Charlestown Fire Department, who were directed to a location about 100 yards offshore where two adult men had overturned a fiberglass canoe while fishing.
Authorities said one of the men was able to safely swim back to shore. The second man, identified as Jordan S. Monroe, 25, of Narragansett, went under the water while attempting to swim ashore and did not resurface.
A coordinated water search was launched with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Environmental Police. Monroe was later located a significant distance offshore.
First responders immediately began life-saving efforts before Monroe was transported by ambulance to Westerly Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Preliminary information indicates that neither individual was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident, and no flotation devices were present in the canoe.
Officials noted that School House Pond is a swim-at-your-own-risk freshwater recreation area located on tribal land.
Authorities praised the swift response of all assisting agencies during the search and recovery operation.
The Charlestown Police Department, Rhode Island DEM, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
